Mom accused of locking kids out in 91-degree heat sentenced

October 30, 2017

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a south-central Nebraska woman who locked her two children out of their home in 91-degree heat has been given 12 months of probation.

Court records say 29-year-old Kirsten Tunender pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts of negligent child abuse after prosecutors lowered the charge from a felony. She was sentenced Thursday in Adams County Court.

Authorities say a neighbor spotted the 2- and 8-year-old girls trying to get into their Hastings home on June 11. When officers knocked on the residence doors, no one answered. Police said the children seemed OK in the 91-degree heat and didn’t need medical attention.